Acquaintance with Newsies

Coming for "Newsies" was a big deal for me though I hadn't expected it to be. I realized I hadn't been in fabulous places where people had to dress up for a long time but I think it was a nice change for me. The Bushnell didn't seem very impressive outside but auditorium with tremendously high ceilings and magnificent chandelier on top of it looked stunning. I had already forgotten how much I loved places with lots of space and how they make me feel! However, such huge auditorium prevented us from being able to see the details of the performance. The stage was too far away from the balcony where we happened to be sitting. Even with my perfect 20/20 vision I couldn't see the faces of the actors. I didn't have difficulties with distinguishing them from one another when they were singing though. I enjoyed every single performance and every single song they sang. It was incredible how they moved so simultaneously, especially when there were more than ten actors in one group. I could see that they put a huge amount of work and effort in making this musicle, and I'm that kind of viewer who appreciate that. As far as decorations, it always surprised me how great and appropriate the props were counting that there were limited abilities and options for a theater to show the audience where the act takes place. Newsies didn't become an exception either. The props were pretty simple but they moved them adapting to the scenes marvelously well. The plot, on the other hand, was the weakest part, in my opinion. It was too obvious from the very beginning and most of the characters weren't well developed. I still can say that I absolutely loved the musical and the energetic atmosphere of actors on the stage. It was a right choice of spending an evening!

                                     

Character study

- about 30 years old

- came from a small family, the only child, parents are divorced, loves her grandma

- a certified nurse, graduated from college few years ago

- had a really bad breakup and currently is single

- shares an apartment with her two friends in New Jersey

- returning from a party, everybody's wasted, Cedric is driving, swerve and kills a hitchhiker

- don't want to go to jail and decide to get rid of the body hoping that nobody will never find out 

- as an actor I want to try to show a dramatic character. I think my character is terrified and in shock and doesn't think straight but still tries to keep calm. 

Link for our new scene:

http://hollywoodactingworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Over_the_Edge_-_3_women.pdf

The Pioneer Experience

It hasn't been a long time since the school started but a lot has been going on. The atmosphere here is so different from everything I'm used to so I think I've already changed a little bit. I wouldn't say that my goals changed that much from where I began. I don't think I have completed the process of adaptation yet. Every aspect of my life has changed so I feel like a pioneer stepping on an unknown land. Being away from my parents is a big part of it. They've been with me each step of the way and now they are just gone and nothing can fulfill that emptyness in my heart. Moreover, I've never been surrounded by so many people all the time. I'm more of a "myself" person and I used to spend most of the time all by myself. Here it's impossible to get any time alone which makes me freak out most of the time. And, of course, school is the most difficult part. I'm being challenged every single day on way too many levels which sometimes makes me lose faith in myself. But I know that's temporary and eventually I'll figure it out. 

As far as my acting class is concerned, I've never expected it to be so eventful. I used to take drama classes back in Russia but for some weird reason all we did was doing exercises. I think they were supposed to make us more relaxed and loose but, looking back at it now, I was as tight as ever. I didn't feel comfortable among those people, so I couldn't possibly loose myself. The opposite is happening here. I feel free to talk and express myself, I'm not afraid somebody would make fun of me because even if they do its never in a mean way. I love that we constantely do some kind of projects. They are never the same which makes them even more interesting. I'd like to continue making scenes, movies, etc. because I finally feel that I'm good at something and that feeling is what makes me going.

The most challenging thing in acting class for me turned out to be writing. I just never expected that the biggest amount of writing would be in acting class. First, I'm not a fast typer which makes me reset not using social networks as much as other kids do. Second, I can't think that fast. It's embarrassing to acknowledge but I'm slower than other people in some things. I need time to think alone, without any pressure. Third, I don't like what I write. I think my writings are too simple, non-developed and is hard to read. So it would be logical to say that I want to do less writing in the next half of a class but I won't say it. I would gain so much more if I continue doing. I don't see much of a progress now but at least I'm not petrified when I see the task with 500 words anymore. That's something, right?

As you can see, not much has changed since I came here but, as I said, I'm slow on things. However, it doesn't mean I'm worse than everybody else. I know I'll see the improvements, I just need to be patient and have more faith in my powers. I need to push harder every day, never give up and stay strong. They say: "what doesn't kill that makes us stronger". Pretty sure it won't kill me so I'm preparing to be so much stronger)

"Back In My Days..." movie link

http://youtu.be/qJYfdbPu9zI

In Class Writing

In my opinion, both groups did an amazing job, considering that most of the participants have never filmed in silent movies or just any kind of movies. 

When I first watched the silent movie of another group I couldn't believe they were able to make something so amazing and funny in such a short period of time. I loved the plot that was the mix of a crime and a comedy. The music reflected their performance and helped to understand the mood and what was happening on the stage.

In our group everybody put a great amount of effort in this movie. We listened each other and collaborated in every aspect which is very important in a team work. Not everything was perfect though. It took us sometime to figure out what should we do with our bodies as we knew that words couldn't support and express our feelings. Step by step it became more clear what to do on a stage. I think the silent movie let us feel and understand body language much more than we've ever done before. It was an incredible opportunity to get a closer look in a world of cinematography and we all learned a lot from this experience. 

The Silent Movie Experience

Making a silent movies is much more complicated than you could have ever imagined. The main tool for expressing yourself is speaking which you can't use in a silent movie. That's a big problem. You have to think of other ways to explain yourself like body language, facial expressions, sound effects, mouthing the words. If you think that's all you need to do, then you are mistaken. The hardest part is to carefully balance all the parts of expressions so that the audience wouldn't consider the piece to be vulgar or trivial. All of that make a silent movie a challenging job but it also might become an unforgettable experience. 

The thing about our silent movie I love the most is that we had so much fun. The plot of "Back In My Days" is adorably hilarious. It's hard to remember how we came up with the idea. I think it was the mix all plots together but the final thing belongs to Abby who is extremely talented and even a bit crazy in a very positive way. In my opinion, the plot is quite simple but original and, I would say, natural. There are no scenes that might seem overloaded even though the movie is less than 5 minutes. 

I never could have imagined that preparation for a movie can be so interesting and engoyable. I loved working with my teammates, it wouldn't be the same without them. Only the trip to the Health Center for a wheel chair was worth every second. Watching Abby's frightened face when Dayna was trying not to lose control over the wheel chair and Abby in it was the most ridiculous thing I'd seen for a long time. I also love Alexis for being in her character even when we weren't filming. It helped me to stay concentrated on being an old lady. 

As far as the movie, we did a great job individually and as a team. Everybody was eager to collaborate and instantly came up with new ideas all the time while filming. I realize that it wasn't an advanced movie, and we aren't specialists but we did a pretty good job with filming each scene and the whole thing. Duncan, who was recording our movie, wasn't only a great listener but also gave us some pieces of advice from his perspective that were so useful. 

After watching the final edited version of our movie I must say i wasn't that bad myself. In my outfit with wig and glasses I looked convincing as an old women. I find my facial expressions helpful as well. However, I didn't feel that confident on stage. I think this might be the struggle that I face every time I'm acting and something I should work on. We filmed a comedian movie so the characters weren't that developed which made it harder to commit to them. Even with some obstacles, I believe, I was able to play my part originally. I learned a lot from that experience and I'd like to participate in filming a silent movie. 

Script for silent movie

Beginning

elderly home

Middle

Smb claims to have bingo

Fights breaks out for the bingo

Alexis accidentally hits Abby's face with a cane

Abby's dentures fall out 

Ending

Trying to pick them up

Movements

Alexis and Lisa are sitting making puzzles 

Dayna is rolling Abby in and then she says: "Bingo time"

Everyone sits down and play bingo says" B 52"

Lisa and Alexis claim they have a bingo( stand up at same time. cards that says "bingo bingo!!!")

The fight starts:

Alexis bites her thumb at Lisa meanwhile, Abby is sitting with Dayna behind fight (

lisa throws bingo card at Shannok

Shanok SLOWLY moves Cane to hit Lisa

Lisa ducks

Cane hits Abby in face (close up shot)

Dentures fall out of Abby's mouth close up shot to where they fall on ground 

Alexis and Lisa very slowly me in pain bend down to get dentures. 

Eventually Dayna bends down

Zoom in to her hand only picking up dentures

Hands to Abby

Dayna sits in Abby's lap and they  wheels off, while the other two are left in pain

Heart that closes off scene

                                 

"Rescued by Rover" http://youtu.be/LlhNxHfyWTU

I have to say: I'm not a huge fan of silent movies but I'm willing to give it a try. Watching "Rescued by Rover" was interesting and different from everything I usually watch. It's not like I've never seen a silent movie before but it was the first time when I was paying attention. First thing I noticed was that body language and facial expressions are much more shown than in voice movies. The movie is very short but lots of actions happen during seemingly short 6 minutes. A homeless woman kidnapping a child, sufferings of parents, Rover finding child, leading a father of a child to the homeless woman's place and finally a rescue of a child. All of the scenes looked natural to me. The only thing I found a bit irritating was that a mother of a child was overacting sometimes. When she was trying to show how devastated she was about her child's disappearance, I felt that she was making too many movements. I understand how hard it is to perform in a silent movie and how important to balance emotional expressions though. One thing I learned watching silent movie was that its not always necessary to speak in order to make audience understand what the performance is about.